How Great a Salvation!
Opening Prayer
O Lord, help me always to maintain a posture of gratitude toward You for all of Your blessings.
Read Psalm 103
For additional translations of the passage, use this link to Bible Gateway.
Of David.
1 Praise the Lord, my soul;
all my inmost being, praise his holy name.
2 Praise the Lord, my soul,
and forget not all his benefits—
3 who forgives all your sins
and heals all your diseases,
4 who redeems your life from the pit
and crowns you with love and compassion,
5 who satisfies your desires with good things
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
6 The Lord works righteousness
and justice for all the oppressed.
7 He made known his ways to Moses,
his deeds to the people of Israel:
8 The Lord is compassionate and gracious,
slow to anger, abounding in love.
9 He will not always accuse,
nor will he harbor his anger forever;
10 he does not treat us as our sins deserve
or repay us according to our iniquities.
11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
so great is his love for those who fear him;
12 as far as the east is from the west,
so far has he removed our transgressions from us.
13 As a father has compassion on his children,
so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him;
14 for he knows how we are formed,
he remembers that we are dust.
15 The life of mortals is like grass,
they flourish like a flower of the field;
16 the wind blows over it and it is gone,
and its place remembers it no more.
17 But from everlasting to everlasting
the Lord’s love is with those who fear him,
and his righteousness with their children’s children—
18 with those who keep his covenant
and remember to obey his precepts.
19 The Lord has established his throne in heaven,
and his kingdom rules over all.
20 Praise the Lord, you his angels,
you mighty ones who do his bidding,
who obey his word.
21 Praise the Lord, all his heavenly hosts,
you his servants who do his will.
22 Praise the Lord, all his works
everywhere in his dominion.
Praise the Lord, my soul.
New International Version (NIV)
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect
Reflect on what knowing God means in your daily life.
The wonder of a gracious God, celebrated by Paul in Romans, is also apparent in this psalm. The salvation that we have in Jesus was signposted by the psalmist, as he calls himself (and us) to praise God for all of his benefits. He celebrates the totality of forgiveness and the provision of all good things. There is an inner renewal (cf. 2 Cor. 4:16). There is a reordering of the world in righteousness. The blessing of knowing God’s ways through the Law of Moses brings also the assurance of his fatherly compassion. He knows our dusty inheritance from Adam.
The psalmist sees the world’s extent from east to west as an indication of the breadth of our forgiveness, just as the distance of heaven to earth is a reflection of the greatness of God’s love. As Christians, we can see another perspective on the terms “east” and “west.” We have a Gospel to proclaim of a forgiveness that is available to the entire world, so we are challenged to take this Gospel to both east and west. Today we can see Christians from all nations fulfilling that command.
The psalmist reflects on the finiteness of man, but rejoices in the eternity of God. He glories in the continuity of his love from generation to generation. We are reminded again today that the world is the kingdom of our Lord Jesus and that he will continue to work throughout time by using both his human and his angelic servants to do his will. There will come the day when all the works of the Lord praise his name. With the encouragement of this psalm we can not only call on our souls to praise the Lord but also actively tell of his salvation to all nations, knowing that all power in heaven and earth has been given to him (Matt. 28:18).
Apply
Who are you going to tell about this salvation?
Closing prayer
Lord, who are we to receive the blessings of a consummately perfect God? I will continually thank You, for Your blessings are ever with me—morning, noon and night.
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